Halcyon Days
by Falcon277
Summary: Two young children, separated by more than just thousands of light years, live hard, dark lives. When these two meet as adults what could possibly happen. A look into the lives of Paragon Shepard and Tali, before, during and after the Mass Effect trilogy. Slightly AU, will follow canon till the end of ME3... Everything ME is owned by Bioware... O/C's and cover: Falcon277
1. Chapter 1

The young Quarian girl made her way through the overcrowded walkways of the Rayya, one of the many ships that made up the migrant fleet, the fleet that carried the dwindling quarian population. She could barely walk in a straight line without bumping someone or stepping on a strangers foot, which earned her either a, "watch yourself," or, "mind where you walk." But she ignored these as she had grown use to the crowds of the Rayyas' outbursts, and continued traversing the labyrinth of people's bodies.

It had been a long day for the girl, cleaning up blown engines, which were horribly outdated. Being lectured by her teachers on how to repair fuel lines. and so on. She spotted the corner that lead to her family's cubicle, cubicles are a place where every quarian lives aboard the overpopulated ship, it is essentially a home only very small. She pushed her way towards it earning her more annoyed comments.

She walked up to her homes airlock and placed her small three fingered gloved hand in the lock system. The door hissed opened. She stepped in to the small rectangular box that the Zorah family, her family called home.

"Tali your home... I wasn't expecting you back for at least another hour or so" Tali's mother said her sweet nostalgic voice of hers, as she turned around to face her daughter standing in front of the door.

"I was let out of school early today, my teachers didn't want to give me extra work, seeing how I have finished it all" Tali answered somewhat proudly. She looked around longingly and noticed something missing, "Where's father?"

Tali's mother raised her helmeted head back and chuckled, "that man... always working, he has a large responsibility now, being an admiral, he sent me a message saying that he was on the Neema overlooking some repairs to the navigations system, he won't be back till tomorrow."

Tali let her head drop, father had promised her that he would take her to the only cinema on the migrant fleet for a special treat. She let out a sad sigh. She would have to wait one more day. "What's there to eat?" she asked to distract herself from disappointment.

"Oh, the usual."

Tali grumbled as she went to take a tube of nutrient paste out of the draw, eating the same thing every day for ten years of your life really takes its toll.

"Tali, Rael is sorry that he couldn't make it, but he has a responsibility to others as well as his family now with this new promotion." Tali's mother tried to comfort her.

"I know mum, it's just ..." Tali was cut off by a wail of sirens, the room flashed blood red as the emergency siren cried. The sound of screams and frantic running could be heard from outside. Everything was becoming a haze of noise and colour.

"This is an emergency, everyone make their way to the escape pods..." the synthetic voice rose up above the sirens and screaming.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two – The first of many choices

The sting of pain flowed through his weak body, bringing another tear to his bloodshot, blue eyes. The hurting soon evaporated. The boy saw the flash of a fist, his head snap back as his attackers hand connected with his jaw, leaving the taste of blood in his mouth. He fell to the cold wooden floor in pain. This was nothing compared to what his father usually did to him in his drunken rages, but that didn't help the burning pain go away.

John painfully picked himself up and faced his drunken father seething crazed face. "You should just stay down you little fucker," his father screamed at his son's defiance as he took another punch, which John easily dodged, years of abuse had heightened his reflexes.

"Your pretty fast for a 12 year old you fucked up cunt." Johns' father raged, he took pleasure out of beating someone who was by no means, in any position to be a threat. "Come ere" he screamed as he lunged forward.

John wasn't going to stand around and wait for another assault, he dived between his father's running legs. Picking himself up quickly continuing to run to the front door. He heard his father curse behind him as he fumbled with the lock system.

The door opened and he sprinted out into the apartment's stair well and started his descent down the spiralling stairway with his father in drunken pursuit.

Two steps at a time John carelessly flew down the stairs, gaining distance from his insane father. He reached the deathly empty lobby. His brown leather boots typical to a 21st century outfit, echoed on the hard marble floor as he ran towards the exit.

The cutting cold of the night forced its way through his cloths, like a knife, slicing through flesh. He shuddered. Ever since his mother left to the Alliance and left him in the care of his ever increasingly insane father life had gone downhill for him. His young body was riddled with scars and marks from being slapped, punched, strangled, thrown and attacked with a knife, his barley functioning left eye was a testament to that.

The hateful screaming of his father began to echo faintly behind him, getting closer and closer, he had to make a choice, face the life he known till now, being physically abused every day for the pleasure of his deranged father, or the cold dark of the streets where poverty and danger were in great quantities.

He knew his time living with his rich father had its advantages such as schooling and influence, but he didn't want to go back he wanted to run, run from his tyrant father, so into the darkness of the super city of Sydney's streets he ran.

**Haha... Shepards Australian, I am still quite new to writing creative stories and advice would be welcomed along with any constructive criticism. The chapters a quite short for now but don't worry I am just building up the story... I think.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Drifting

_The sound of screams and frantic running could be heard from outside. Everything was becoming a haze of noise and colour._

"_This is an emergency, everyone make their way to the escape pods..." the synthetic voice rose up above the sirens and screaming._

Tali looked around dumbfounded, what the_ Keelah _was happening. Could there be a hull breach? Fuel leak? Fire? Intrud – "TALI" the frantic voice of her mother broke her from her trance, she turned and faced her mother standing in the now open door way illuminated by the sickly red lights with her hand outstretched beckoning for her to come. "TALI" her mother hissed in desperation.

Tali didn't need to be told another time, she ran to her mother and grasped her open hand. Tali's mother hand quickly closed around hers like a vice as she led the shocked girl through the eerie vacant hallways. Screaming could still be heard from some distance up ahead, echoing through the halls.

"M-mum... what's. What's happening?" Tali shakily asked. No answer only silence. "Mum?" she repeated soflty.

"I don't know, stop asking stupid questions" her mother snapped, all clam and sincerity in her mother's voice was now replaced by desperation and fear. "Just keep walking until we get to the escape pods." She said as she quickened her pace forcing Tali to try to keep up.

The screaming was now getting louder and louder. The two turned at a bend in the walkway and saw a frantic mob of angry Quarians banging their three fingered fists against the closed doors of the escape pods, other crouched in the corners, just holding each other. All the escape pods were gone! How? There was room for the entire crew of the Rayya. Tali could feel the tears creeping out of her eyes. She grasped her mother around the waist and rested her head on her mother chest. She could feel the frantic breaths her mother was taking.

"WE'VE GOT ONE MORE SPOT! JUST ONE." A male voice rose up from above the crowd. Tali looked up and saw a Young male Quarian waving his arms over his head. The crowds were now in a state of total anarchy, fighting for the last spot. Tali turned back to her mother who pushed her forward.

"GO!" Her mother screamed at her. Tali's feet stayed locked on the ground. "GO!" Her mother pushed her again.

Tali looked at the horde of people trying to get the last spot, then she dove into its midst. Bodies crashed into one another with thuds, glass of visors were smashed leaving the victims dropping to the floor trying in vain to stop outside particles entering their body by covering their face as they convulsed. Limbs interlocked with one another in a tangled mess, like vines of a garden world. Tali ran through this, dodging flailing hands and feet, sometimes tripping on the many trampled and crushed bodies. She pushed her way through the storm of people.

She could now see the young Quarian trying to stop the horde of people from entering "JUST ONE! IM SO SORRY. JUST ONE."

She franticly made her way towards the open door of the escape pod. She was almost there. Something then caught onto her leg, she couldn't move forward, she turned and faced the reason. A Quarian male was grabbing her leg pulling her back into the crowd. "THATS MY SPOT." He screamed at her.

Tali tried to kick the man with her free leg but he merely grabbed that as well, pulling her further back. Tali kicked and screamed clawing at the ground.

The crowd started to disperse from around her and back up. Her feet were suddenly free, she scrambled up and towards the doors. The young man saw her and beckoned her into the escape pod quickly. She swiftly entered her salvation with the man who helped to strap her into a seat. The doors started closing and Tali peered outside looking for the reason she escaped.

The crowd was being pushed back by a single female Quarian who lashed out with ferocity. Her mother. She was swatting away anyone that tried to get past her. She turned around and faced her daughter through the closing doors and nodded once before being engulfed by the swarm of rabid Quarians.

A silent scream stuck in Tali's throat as the door closed fully and the escape pod lurched forward away from the crippled ship, her home, the Rayya. She bowed her head and let the stinging tears form a pool on the inside of her purple tinted visor.

"Whats your name?" a soft regal voice asked her. Tali looked up and saw the young man who had led her onto the pod.

"T –Tali" she managed to squeak out, bowing her head once again, the weight of grief driving down onto her.

"I am Kal. Kal' reegar." The man croaked. He too had his head bowed. "I am so sorry" he finally said with sincerity, putting his arm around her trying to comfort the anguished child.

The others grieved in silence as the pod floated through the empty void of space. Alone.

**Yes I know, this didn't happen, I said that the story would follow canon but it will still be AU, didn't I. Any way what do you think of it so far, any advice or constructive criticism is welcomed, after all I am trying to improve my writing. Thank you.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Mysterious

A man draped in a lengthy black coat watched as a small boy ran down the street, slowly becoming enveloped in the shadows of the night. The man stared out into the darkness where the child disappeared. A cruel smile stretched across his veiled face as he jumped down from his perch, landing in the empty ally way, starting to pursue his masters' investment.

...

John ran as fast as he could, his lungs protested at the lack of oxygen, his leg muscles burning from overuse, but he did not stop. Through the dark alley ways and back allies he moved, cans and cigarette buds littered the ground.

John started to develop a distressing feeling, that he was being followed, but every time he turned around there was nothing except the infinite lane of bricks and metal that seemed to continue forever into the gloom. But once he could have sworn he saw the silhouette of a man draped in a black coat disappear into thin air, within his peripheral vision.

The temperature was below average for an Australian night, the chilly unkind winds swept through the cities alley's like water through canals. In the distance could be heard the muffled pulsing music of one of the many nightclubs.

Suddenly john felt someone hit him from behind, forcing him to the ground. His vision blurred and his thought scattered. He hit the ground with a thump, forcing the air out of his lungs. He tried to get up but his arms just wouldn't move, all that he could feel was the growing numbness, starting from his fingers and toes, gradually creeping towards his body. His sight blurred more and more fading out to black. The last thing that he remembered was some one grabbing him by the back of his neck before slipping into a void of oblivion

...

The man stood over his master's investment, grabbing it by the scruff of the neck. _An easy takedown_ he thought to himself as he studied the face of the boy. He almost thought it was a pity that this specimen should be aborted, "Failure to embrace pain willingly." The man sneered. "Weak" he spat.

He lifted the unconscious form of the boy onto his shoulders. All while thinking why his master created it in the first place. The poor excuse of a boy who was draped on his shoulders did not look anything like the other, it wasn't physically powerful, it wasn't at all very smart, and it didn't even show any symptoms to the enhancing drugs that he had been slipped into his food for the past 12 years.

"Weak" the man repeated as he set the failure down, propping its head up on the wall. He then pulled out a syringe with a luminous green liquid, from his black coats' inside pocket. Testing to see if the syringe worked, he then knelt beside the boys limp form.

Slowly lowering his hand with the syringe towards the boy's neck. Smiling as he did. Damn he loved his job.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Alone

Soon after Tali's pod escaped the crippled vessel it was engulfed in a ball of flame as the oxygen ignited in the cold of space, illuminating the inside of the pod she was inside, in a crimson orange. She could hear the gasps of fear and sadness from others around her. Many Quarians were still on there, unable to escape. What had caused the damage?

Tali sat there with her head hanging, still recovering from the death of her mother, her ship and so many others who couldn't escape. She couldn't understand, how? How could the Rayyas' escape pods not support the population of the ship? They had enough, why did all those souls have to die. It wasn't fair, why did she have the right to live while hundreds died. It wasn't fair.

"Why?" Tali said to no one in particular, in a soft wavering voice.

"Why what?" asked the Quarian to her left who had helped her come aboard, Kal' reegar.

"Why should I live, when so many others die? It's not fair." Tali cried.

Kal sighed, pulling her closer with the arm he had around her shoulder and took a deep breath. "Nothing is fair about death, but it is a fact, one that we must all live with. It will hurt at first but the passing of time heals all, not completely. Like a scar that is left after you are cut, you will remember them always"

Tali laughed miserably. "You seem pretty knowledgeable on the subject" she quipped in her melancholy voice.

"Ha... Yeah well, I am marine, been around death a lot. It changes your perspective on things. I have had to say what I just said to so many others in my short but eventful life, being a marine it is something you do not want to become, too much death and destruction."

"I can imagine." Tali sniffed, she sunk back down in her seat. "Do you know... how it happened?" she asked, almost reluctantly.

"No, I was standing on guard duty when the sirens started."

The pod became deathly quiet now that the conversation had ceased. Tali looked around her, people were crying and shaking, unable to accept the turn of events.

As the pod drifted through space among the many other pods and debris of the Rayya, awaiting rescue from the fleet, Tali sat and reflected on the death of her mother. She was as selfless in death as she was in life, sacrificing herself for her daughter to live. A trait that Tali wished that she had, she was anything but selfless, always wanting something wether it be approval from her father to top marks in every test that she did at school. Sure they weren't that selfish, but they defiantly weren't selfless. Tali vowed silently that she will be only selfless like her mother and bring only goodness to the migrant fleet. Keelah se'lai


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Rescue

Rael'Zorah watched in absolute horror from the bridge of the Neema as the Rayya was engulfed in a ball of crimson flame. His partner was on that ship... Tali was on that ship. '_They made it...' _He thought. '_Don't worry... don't worry... DONT WORRY.'_ He started to fear the worst as the fireworks of the Rayya twinkled out of existence. He was lost for words. _'They had to have made it they just had to.' _

Rael gulped down his fears, "GET OVER THERE AND LOOK FOR SURVIVOURS" He ordered the bridge crew, even though it was not his ship, he was only here overlooking the repairs of the navigation system, but the crew knew not to disobey an admiral.

The Neema's bridge crew started to issue orders throughout the ship as they headed off to comb the debris for survivors.

Reals hands were welded to the bench in front of him, he just stared out at the remains of his home, his family's home, as the debris got closer and closer. He took a deep breath, he had to calm himself. 'They_ are probably waiting on one of the escape pods...' _he tried to comfort himself. '_Probably.'_ He shook his head clear of the thought that he dare not heed.

"SEND OUT THE SHUTTLES TO COLLECT ALL ESCAPE PODS... THEN CALL THE REST OF THE FLEET AND ASK THEM TO HELP SALVAGE THIS." It took all of Raels' self control and training to stop the emotion flooding over into his voice. He watched silently as the shuttles flew ahead of the Neema scouring the gutted ship. _'Please. Please be alright.'_

**XxxxxX**

Tali was still weeping, '_she's just... gone.'_ She thought wretchedly. Her masks excretion units were having a hard time removing the everlasting supply of tears that she shed out of pure anguish. She snuffled her nose trying to clear it.

Time had no meaning to Tali, it seemed to past her by at either an extremely fast, or extremely slow pace, either way she couldn't tell, she was still struck with grief. Her conversation with the marine Kal' Reegar had calmed her down a bit, but only because it distracted her from facing the reality of her mother's death. No more mother daughter moments, no more playing with father and mother...together, no more girl talk... no more...

Tali couldn't think about it anymore. It hurt too much. She tried to think about other things, happy memories of her family, trying to eclipse the pain of loss. But it didn't work, every time she focused on a happy memory she would be reminded that it would never be the same. In the period of an hour, her entire world had been lifted upside down and crushed by a charging Krogan.

Tali head spun in a cascading avalanche of memories, most were from the last hour, the worst hour in her entire life. She wanted more time with her mother. She didn't want to say farewell now. IT WASNT FAIR.

Someone shaking her shoulder brought her back to the plain of reality.

"Tali..." Kal's voice drifted through the mist of her sorrow. "Tali" he repeated a bit louder this time. She looked up at him. "Tali... there is a ship outside... we are being rescued" He said in his calm voice.

The hiss of a connection reverberated throughout the pod. Many of the Quarians started to cry from relief and joy.

The doors of the pod, opened in slow motion, rays of an artificial light filled the dark pod.

Three Quarians entered, two males and a female, they wore the customary light red of the emergency service. They were greeted with the appraisals of relief and gratitude. They started to check everyone in the pod for any suit ruptures. When they were satisfied that no one was exposed, they assisted the survivors from the pod.

Kal put his arm around Tali as he accompanied her entering the shuttle that their pod was rescued by, she was still crying but not as much.

"Come on let's get you examined by the medic" Kal prompted as he lead Tali to one of the medics.

"Come here dear... I won't bite" the medic held out her hand, "I just need to do a check up on you."

Tali took her hand and allowed the medic to run a scan with her Omni – tool over her body. The medic finished and started to review the data that was gathered. "Your fine" she assured her. The medic looked up to Kal, "Your daughters' fine."

This caught Kal by surprise, he took an involuntary step back. "My daughter... you must be mistaken... This is..." he actually didn't know now that he thought about it what her full name was, "Tali..." he stretched the 'i'.

"Zorah... Tali' Zorah" Tali said in a sorrowful voice. Sniffing a bit.

"ZORAH..." Kal nearly squeaked in revelation, "I am so sorry Ma'am, if I knew who you were I would have addressed you properly." He was now standing at attention his body rigid and strait.

"Please don't..." she sniffed, "I am just Tali... ok"

"Yes ma' ummmm... Tali"

Tali would have laughed in normal circumstances, she always did love the marines trying to refrain from using the word ma'am with her, it was kind of annoying, it wasn't like she was royalty or something. But the last hour... She broke out fresh tears. Kal was instantly at her side trying to comfort her, but how do you comfort someone who has just lost their mother.

**XxxxxX**

The shuttle was now returning to the Neema, having found another couple of pods. The interior of the out dated white shuttle was crammed with many survivors from the Rayya.

As the shuttle pulled up to one of the many docking cradles of the Neema, people were already making their way to the exits.

Tali who was accompanied by Kal made their way towards the exit along with the many others.

The whisper of the clamps sounded and the doors started to open. People made their way out of the now open door .

Tali and Kal entered the Neema together, Kal was supporting the shaking girl.

Tali looked around the docking bay's crowds that had gathered to see if they knew anyone from the Rayya... obviously, trying to find her father. She spotted some one that had the resemblance of her father but... no all Quarians look the same in their suits.

Suddenly a male pushed through the crowd and started running towards her frantically, "TALI...OH TALI" he shouted in joy as he ran. She recognised him.

Kal let go of Tali allowing her to run to her father, "Father" she cried. Rael reached her and kneeled on one knee and gave her an all embracing hug. He was crying as embraced his daughter "I thought I lost you" he whispered.

"Dad..." Tali shuddered "Mum... she... she didn't make it"

Rael stoped, releasing Tali, he looked in to her eyes, "no... Please tell me this is a bad joke... Please..." he couldn't finish.

Tali shook her head sadly.

Rael bit his lip, he bowed his head and sobbed into his daughters shoulder. "No... no... no... I should have been there - I should have - I could have... no... no" he wept. He looked back up to Tali and put a strong three fingered hand on her shoulder "At least... I still have you" he managed to say before he started to weep again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – Seeing Red

A lone boy traversed the snaking alleys and walkways of Sydney's' streets, he wore a blood red leather jacket over a dirty, white, old fashioned buttoned up shirt, a black belt held up his torn denim jeans. His hair was slick and greasy; it was combed back so it wouldn't cover his face.

His name was Kyle Falcon but he preferred just Falcon, he was a part of the notorious street gang known as the 10th street Reds, which gained its infamous name from selling red sand, Assaulting visiting aliens and participating in gang wars.

Falcon heard a yelp, over the sound of the city. Curious, he crept forward in the shadows, even though he was easy to spot with his red jacket. _We should really think about changing our colours,_ he thought to himself.

"Weak" a deep voice reverberated through the alley, distracting Falcon from his thoughts.

Falcon peeped around a corner; there in front of him was a well built man in a long black coat, standing over a young boy who had a scar running down the left side of his face. He couldn't have been more than twelve. The large man pulled out a glistening object from his coats inside pocket.

Falcon squinted his eyes, straining to see what the man had taken out of his coat. Whatever it was, it glistened in the cold blue artificial light that was emitted from a neon sign on the far brick wall.

The large man bent down over the limp form of the young boy, slowly lowering the glistening object towards the boy's neck, as if he was going to inject something.

He was going to inject him with something, Falcon finally realised. "Oi..." He involuntarily shouted out.

The man whipped his head around in surprise towards Falcon. "Shit..." Falcon scorned himself in silence, as the scrutinizing eyes of the man studied his appearance. The man suddenly leaped to his feet, forgetting the boy that lay at his feet, for the moment, and made his way toward Falcon.

"Just... Just stay back... I... I... don't want to hurt you." Falcon managed to stutter, as he backed away from the advancing man. The man just laughed and continued to walk towards him, while reaching behind his back to reveal a collapsible sword, which folded out as the man pressed a button on the side.

The man stopped a few metres from Falcon and raised the sword to his neck. "You didn't see anything here... did you... boy?" The man stated in a low voice.

Falcon just shuddered and let out his breath that he didn't realise he had been holding. Even though he was part of a supposedly tough gang, he wasn't prepared to fight someone, let alone fight someone to help someone else.

"DID YOU BOY?" The man threateningly shouted, holding the sword point closer to Falcons neck. Falcon just gulped. "umm..ahh...well" he said in fear.

"SPIT IT OUT"

Falcon looked to the boy who still lay unconscious on the floor, if he left, the boy would surely be killed or hurt by the man, if he stayed the boy stood a chance... and he stood chance of being killed, Falcon thought. He wanted to leave, to run away from the scary sword wielding guy in front of him, but if he did he would never live it down.

"Fuck..." Falcon stated out loud as he came to his universe changing decision.

"What was that?" The man shouted impatiently.

Falcon looked around the alley way, looking for something that he could use for defence or offense against a sword. A wooden pallet, the type that is used to transport tiles and bricks around, caught his eye. It was to his far right, propped up against the wall. _This is a stupid idea,_ he thought. He took a long breath, as if it was to be his last. "Yes." He stated resolutely.

"Yes? Yes what."

"Yes... I did see something."

The man's eyes narrowed to slits, his grip became tighter on the sword and his muscles bulged out. He suddenly sliced forward with his sword with no warning, Falcon just managed to duck underneath of the flash of steel. He could feel the air shift around the sword above his neck.

Falcon quickly rolled out of the way, towards the pallet, as the sword came down from above, hitting the concrete floor with a spark.

Falcon was practically shitting himself now. Two close calls already, he hadn't even landed a blow on the sword wielding maniac. He dived towards the wooden pallet, as the man lifted his sword once again. Grabbing it around its edges Falcon lifted it from the ground; it was heavier than it looked.

Falcon turned, with the wooden pallet in front of him, protecting majority of his body, just in time. The man's sword impaled itself in the wood as he lunged. Falcon saw his opportunity; he twisted the square pallet, ripping the sword out of the man's hands, sending it skidding into the shadows.

Falcon smiled for the briefest of seconds, only to be pummelled to the ground by the man. He couldn't move, his limbs were being held down by the weight of the man's body, it was hard to breath.

Falcons face exploded in pain as the man's fist connected with it. He felt his body suddenly relieved of the man's weight as the man then picked him up and threw him.

Falcon felt a metal object dig into his back on impact with the concrete floor, obviously bruising him. He looked up and saw the man advancing on him once again. His breathing became uncontrolled by fear. He rolled over to pick himself up, but came face to face with the man's sword on the floor. He grabbed it and wrenched it from underneath himself, he rolled over again, the man was now on top of him. Without thinking he thrust the sword forward into the mans chest.

The man let out a gurgle as he felt the tip of the sword slide through his body like a knife through butter.

Falcon watched in horror as the pain etched itself on the man's face.

The man fell forward pushing the sword further through his body, landing to the side of Falcon.

Falcon lay on the ground for a couple more minutes letting his hard course breath subside. "Too close... way too close..." he said to himself as he finally got up from the cold ground. He made his way to the boy on the ground. He knelt beside the figure.

"Hey... mate... are you ok." Falcon asked as he shook the limp body. No response. The boy was still breathing. "Always a good sign." Falcon looked up at the dark sky wondering what he was going to do now, walking through the streets with a body on ones shoulders tended to get unwanted attention, attention he couldn't afford, being a part of a wanted gang.

Something glistened in the corner of Falcons eye. A medallion had fallen out of the dead mans pocket. Falcon walked over to it and picked it up of the ground, he brought it to his face and looked over it. On one of the sides, engraved was written 'SHEPARD'. What was Shepard?

Falcon was brought back from his inner thoughts as the limp form of the boy stirred. Hurrying over to the boy, he knelt beside him. "Hey... Hey mate are you ok?"

John's eyes opened weakly, his vision was still blurry, he could only make out outlines of things. What had happened? " Hey... Hey mate are you ok?" a blurry figure asked worried. His vision started to clear, there kneeling next to him was a boy a bit older than himself, wearing a red leather jacket over a white buttoned up shirt, twiddling a medallion in his hand. "Hey... are you alright?" the boy in a red jacket asked him.

"Yeah...I think" John replied.

Relief flooded the strangers face. "Good to know... I'm Falcon" the boy stated as he offered john his hand to help john up.

John took the hand and he was lifted to his feet. The first thing he noticed was the unmoving form of a man on the ground, a sword through his chest. "What happened to him" John practically shouted, pointing to the dead man.

"Oh... You don't recognise him?" Falcon asked in surprise.

"Should I?"

"Must have got you from behind... That man there knocked you out. When I found you, he was bent over you like a vulture over a carcass, about to inject you with... god only knows what." Falcon explained.

John let the information sink in. So that was how he got knocked out? "So you killed him?" John finally asked.

Falcon eyebrow clenched together, "Hey I didn't want to kill no one, it was either him, or me and you" he defended his actions.

"I wasn't trying to say it wasn't... thank you... for saving me"

"You're welcome" falcon said with a trace of the past anger. "So what's your name?"

"John."

"John... just John?" Falcon asked.

"Should I have another name?" John quite seriously asked.

"uhhh... Yeah, you know a last name, surname, family name"

"Never given one" John lied, he didn't want to be part of his father's family, so he wasn't going to go around and advertise his name and heritage.

"So you don't have a family?"

"Yeah... no family."

"Oh I am sorry. Have... Have you been living on the streets for long?" Falcon said.

"No, not long. What about you?"

Falcon gave a heavy regretful sigh. "For as long as I can remember, I have been living on the streets for my whole damn life... It has been hard."

"How do you do it?" John asked curiously

"Well living all by yourself anywhere, is tough, especially on the street, so I joined a gang first chance I got. Yes I know, gangs are supposed to be bad right? But they look after one of their own... let's just say I owe them a lot."

"So do you think I could join?" John asked, he needed all the help he could get.

Falcon gave him a thoughtful look, "I guess... I could put a good word for you in with the Boss."

"Could you?"

"Yeah. Why not. I was actually heading back home before I found you... now, if you'd care to join me, you could ask the boss yourself, Boss usually isn't that picky when it comes to new recruits"

John smiled, "Great!"

"Uh Huh... don't get your hope up to quickly, living on the street is still a tough life." Falcon stated as he walked away. John caught up and walked beside him. "You know you're going to need a last name so we don't have any mix ups... there are more Johns than you could imagine."Falcon stated as a fact.

"Oh umm... I don't know... what would be a good last name?" John asked.

Falcon stoped walking and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a round medallion and threw it at John. John caught the glistening object and held it to his face, the word 'SHEPARD' was engraved onto it. "I found it on the man that attacked you... still don't know what it means... but hey."

"Shepard." John whispered, there was something strangely familiar about the word, or was it a name? "John Shepard" he tested the sound of it, "John Shepard" he repeated a little louder. It had a certain ring about it. He liked it. He turned to Falcon who was still waiting patiently for him to come out of his thoughts.

"So how bout it?" Falcon asked, "John Shepard... Member of the 10th street Reds."

"10th street reds? Is that the name of your gang?" John curiously asked.

"Yeah"

Falcon began walking again, leading Shepard through the maze of streets and side passages. The group had been walking for a while when suddenly Falcon stopped in front of a large derelict warehouse, It looked like twenty first century design. "Here it is... home" Falcon gestured towards the large unwelcoming building. Falcon must have seen the look on Johns face because he quickly added, "Keeps your head out of the rain." Falcon then nodded and continued to pace towards the building.

Falcon and John both got to the door, a large wooden and metal framed one, with two shattered windows. Falcon brought his fist to bear on the door three times in what sounded like a pass code or something.

"YO FALCON BRO... THAT YOU?" asked a thick voice behind the door.

"YEAH MAN... OPEN UP." Falcon replied.

The door was swung open inwards, from the other side. There standing in the arch was a big mean looking ethnic boy with a red leather jacket similar to Falcons, except it seemed to bludge out more.

"Whats this?" the boy asked Falcon directing his gaze at John.

Falcon put his arm around John's shoulders, "This is John Shepard... He wants to join the gang."

"Boss always likes new faces... you take him in and show him to Boss." The boy said as he stepped out of the way of Falcon and John letting them past into the building.

Falcon lead the way through the seemingly derelict building, seemingly because it was in fact filled with boys and girls hurrying around the place like a swarm of angry ants, in red leather jackets. It was a stark contrast between his father's apartment.

They passed a room full of guns and ammunition, this caught John by surprise. "Just in case of rival gangs" Falcon said coolly as they passed.

The pair, after walking the length of the building, found themselves in a small yet oddly spacious room. There sitting in the middle of the room was a rather fat, big boned boy, he had flaps of skin around his neck that sagged towards his chest, his skin was a pale greasy white with the occasional zit here and there. The boys eyes were so sunk back into his skull that it made him look like a zombie rather than a living breathing being. He was adorned with many chains and rings, which ony seemed to make him look fatter. And then there was the smell, a putrid reeking corpse would have smelt like daisies compared to it, there was no words to describe the humid smell that seemed to stick to you.

John's eyes watered, and his stomach churned. Falcon seemed unfazed, probably because he was more used to it by now.

The fat boy took a long laboured breath, "FALCON" He greeted in a high squeaky voice, that didn't match his appearance. "who have you brought with you?"

"A new recruit boss" Falcon answered.

"Hmmmm... he looks like a weed... What's your name?" he asked John.

"John"

A deep squeaky laugh erupted from the fat boy, "John... another john... what's your last name?"

"Shepard"

The fat boy took another long laboured breath before speaking. "You shall be known as Sheppard then by us... Shepard of the 10th street reds."

"Thank you... Boss"

"That's alright lad... go say hello to your new family" the fat boy waved him off.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Humans a blight on the Galaxy!

Many citadel weeks had passed already and the investigators of the now dubbed 'Rayya tragedy', still had absolutely no idea how the explosion that killed many Quarians was caused, and why some escape pods recovered had no one inside them. Some speculated that it was a fuel leak, others: a venting of explosive gas, and then there was those dramatic types, who believed the explosion was caused by sabotage. To those immediately affected by the event, it did not matter, what mattered was that people had died a preventable death and left them behind... Alone.

Survivors were regularly interrogated by inspectors, and each session they gave the same answers as the last time. For Tali these sessions weren't just interrogations, they were torture, being made to relive that night, the wailing screams, the red lights flashing menacingly through empty hallways, Quarians killing each other in feral instinct of survival... her mother facing her one last time as she was engulfed into a crowd of rabid screaming Quarians, it was too much for her to handle. She was now a shadow of her former self, an impression etched into stone, a fossil; evidence of life. She was dead unmoving corpse under her suit.

Most days Tali would just sit a stare unblinkingly at the door, praying to her gods that her mom would come striding through there as if nothing happened. But to her constant dismay no such dream came true; instead she endured the dark nightmare that was slowly seeped through the walls of her reality blurring the line of what was real and what wasn't.

Tali's father, Rael, stood helplessly by as he watched his daughter fall into the angry clutches of depression. She wouldn't eat, sleep, talk or study. She only sat and allowed herself to be slowly consumed in some sick self sacrifice.

Rael hoped that the investigators soon found something, maybe if they did Tali would be able to accept her mother's death and move on. Of course saying that Rael was far from recovered over the incident, yet he buried it under his responsibility and continued on with his life as an admiral on the admiralty board, assisting with the day to day issues on the fleet.

As the weeks slowly passed into months there was still no shred of news from the investigators. Then one non eventful day the investigators found the 'black – box' equivalent of the Rayya. The news spread like a flu through the fleet, that the investigators were in the process of sifting through all information on the device. Rael, being an admiral, ordered the team of investigators for him to oversee the operation, they submissively accepted.

The cold data flashed in front of Rael on large plain monitors. The ever changing images, videos and text revealed no insight to the accident that was until they stumbled upon some video footage of docking cradle A4.

_Security camera DA4 – 6:  
- The airlock was being cut open from the other side. Molten metal dripped from the burning slice making its way up the middle._

_-The airlock was blown inward by some unseen explosion, smoke reduced visibility to zero. As the smoke was cleared by onboard filters the image gave way to a hole in the door and stepping through it was six... humans, wearing white armour with golden open, elongated hexagons encompassed by two mirroring ticks, engraved onto them like some sought of a symbol or emblem._

_-"Get to the engines and plant those charges." the one obviously who was in charge ordered two on the far left. As they ran off from view the one in charge pointed to another two. "You two get to the control terminal of the escape pods and jettison half... do not be seen... activate cloaking." Those to dematerialised._

_-"These suit rats will never know what hit them" the man laughed to the other one as the casually strolled out of view. _

Raels eye twitched at the answer to his partner's fate: Humans, the new race. "Cross reference that emblem." Rael barked at the nearest investigator, who immediately complied.

"Sir I have a match. A rouge alliance cell: Cerberus, used to be a black ops branch of the alliance military, now it is known as a racist terrorist organisation." The investigator announced.

"Go over everything else you can find relating to this find" Rael ordered.

Rael and the investigators spent a long time going over and over the information that they pulled up, along the way they would often stumble on to more of the missing puzzle pieces. Soon they had a very clear picture of what happened. Cerberus had boarded the Rayya undetected and split into three teams of two. One team planted explosive in strategic positions in the engines room and near the fuel lines. Another of the teams successfully evaded detection and hacked the terminal that controlled the escape pods jettisoning half of them. And the last team had infiltrated the command bridge and stole many classified documents. After the teams had finished their respective tasks they regrouped and left on their shuttle.

To say Rael was angry was an understatement; he was experiencing a feeling that a word had yet to be made to describe.

Tali sat alone for what felt like a decade after her mother's death, going once again through the routine that had plagued her life for well over half a citadel year. All of a sudden the door whooshed open, just like in her dreams and for the briefest of moment a flame was lit in the darkness of her life, yet it was soon extinguished as she saw who it was that had come through it. Her father.

"Tali... I have something to tell you." He started in a rather contorted voice that contained subtle hints to anger, but she didn't care. "Tali please answer me." pleaded Rael. Still no answer. After letting out a defeated sigh he continued. "The investigators have found the reason behind the Rayya tragedy."

Tali's eyes widened and she stopped breathing the smallest of seconds. She then spoke her first words after months of staying quite. "What happened?" Her voice hoarse from lack of use.

Rael, clearly surprised that she had spoken, soon recovered and continued. "It was murder... A human terror organisation boarded and sabotaged the ship... the fleet will know in about an hour."

Tali darkness slowly evaporated, it was soon replaced with something else, molten anger, hate and racism all mixed together in a foul concoction that filled her from her very toes up. Within the slow silent minutes that passed she was reborn with all her old personality overlayed by a burning hatred for humanity. The blight on the Galaxy.

* * *

**OK! what do you think... I am not to sure of this one my self but hey... I just needed to write something for this story before my exams. And that reminds me... I will not be writing anything much over the next three weeks due to exam study, after that though... Well let me put it this way if I don't post anything on the ****10th of November Sydney time **i give you my personal permission to spam my PM and reviews with angry colour full comments until I post something.

**now to other things as you have probably noticed i have made a picture for the book, it took forever (I am no pro artist). So what do you think of this chapter was it good was it bad did it just make absolutely no sense, please review your answer with an explanation to help make this story better.**

**Yours truly. Falcon**

**P.S. Any lord of the Rings fans reading this? if so could you please check out my other book then vote on my poll, it would help me so... so... so much. The lord of the rings market is quite spread "like butter over too much bread". if you catch my drift. **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – Time with the Reds

The years with the reds went by very quickly, in fact if Shepard, as he was now called, didn't look at the date once in a while, he wouldn't know how long it had been since he awoke to the greasy hair boy, Falcon, leaning over him. The years seemed to be all connected, with no events to break them up, no birthdays, no Christmas, no school holidays... Nothing except the routine activities carried out by the reds on a daily basis. He was now 17 years of age nearly 18; he had spent the better part of 5 years with the 10th street Reds.

During this time Shepard had partook in many activities which he was not overly proud of. He had held guns to people, stolen goods, robbed banks... most of it was terrible, by his standards, but this was his family now, his home, he had to abide by the rules or risk the wrath of the group. Of course through all this, Falcon, who had saved him from his unknown assailant, had stuck by him from the very beginning, shielding him from the atrocities members were required to do in order to keep their status, like extortion and ransoming, and even sometimes the gang would require people to go missing indefinitely, these people usually had ties to the gang, from information that could be used against them to actual gang members that had decided to go 'rouge'. Every time Shepard was called upon to commit these crimes, Falcon would always, without fail, unbeknownst to the rest of the gang, commit them in Shepards name.

To Shepard, Falcon had grown into a big brother figure and to Falcon; Shepard was the little brother he never had. The duo had also become the most incompetent gang members of all time. Always trying to wriggle their way out of jobs.

For Shepard and Falcon the family had decayed under the rule of the Boss and had become an abusive body of people that did little to support each other. Between the two an unshakeable bond solidified, this bond kept both of them immune from the misery and anger that spread like a wild fire throughout the reds. It wasn't perfect, but they were surviving... For now.

Shepard sat on a rather dirty looking chair, his legs resting on the table in front of him, next to Falcon, who was in a similar, uncomfortable position. Falcon was playing with a old fasioned lighter, the sporadic burst of orange light created an atmosphere akin to that of a battle.

"Can you just cut that out?" Shepard flicked Falcon in the head. "I am trying to sleep."

Falcon looked over at Shepard with an amused glare. "Sleeping... It's four in the morning."

"Exactly, ever heard of a sleep in before."

"Ever heard of going to bed early."

"That is not my fault" Shepard said accursedly. "You snore like a Krogan."

"Again... the constant insults... makes me wonder why I helped you at all." Falcon feigned anger as he lifted his metal capped boots off the table.

Shepard looked over at him, his head bowed. "Yes... thanks about that." He sincerely whispered.

"And the constant apologies for something that happened five years ago. God Shepard what am I going to do with you?"

"You could give me some money." Shepard joked all sincerity leaving his voice.

"For what?"

"For being me" Shepard grinned, which was respectively wiped from his face when Falcon playfully slapped him across the cheek, staining it with a red hand mark, that slowly faded away.

"There you go... I gave you something."

"I don't think that's was what I asked for."

Falcon only laughed with a snake like hiss. As he shook his head in slow movements, trying to contain his amused glee.

"FALCON! SHEPARD!" The Boss's squeaky mouse voice boomed over the PA system, startling the two out of their rare moment of relaxation. "GET YOURSELVES TO MY OFFICE NOW!" The PA system then cut off with a static jerk. Leaving a confused Shepard and Falcon thinking what the hell the Boss wanted them for. Hopefully it wasn't for one of those sick activities the Reds took part in.

Falcon and Shepard both unenthusiastically got up from their restful place and wandered down the labyrinth of identical, musky halls, that crisscrossed through the entire building, heading towards the Boss's 'office', if you could even call it that, it was probably more accurate to call it a fast food garbage dump that happened to have a desk in the middle.

All the while walking they silently dreaded what the fat man wanted with them, it was always something bad, terrible or downright disturbing. It always was. Soon after Shepard joined, the Boss started to become more greedy and bold. He wanted to be infamous. He changed to purpose of the gang from sheltering those who could not look after themselves to a small army of mercs. All the members of the gang greeted the change warily at first but soon accepted it

As the pair entered the dump of an office they were greeted by the squeaky voice of the Boss and the putrid smell that no matter what you did was always there. "Shepard... And Falcon, so nice of you two to finally make it here."

"Uhh... so what do you want us for?" asked Falcon nervously.

The Boss merely eyed him up and down before looking at Shepard. "It would appear that I have a job for you both. A man contacted us about an hour ago, informing me that a large sum of money was being taken to this address." he waved his, now visible, orange lit Omni tool in the air, sending the address to Shepards and Falcons own orange Omni tool, which instantly flared in confirmation of reception.

Shepard looked down at the address carefully, a mysterious sense of familiarity crept over him as he read over it. He tried to reflect where he remembered it from, but his thoughts were rudely cut short when the Boss began to... squeak again.

"You will go to this address and wait for a white van to stop in front of it at about 3pm, the van is you target. Dispose of the armed guards then... commandeer the van and bring it to our car swap location. You know what to do after that I presume."

"Uhhh... No." Shepard stated in obvious sarcasm.

"Bring the money back ere, you fools" the Boss shouted, his veins bulged out of his fat leathery neck.

"How are we supposed to take out armed guards, it not like we are heavily equipped. All I have is a pistol and it overheats every 3 shots" Falcon protested waving his makeshift shamble of a pistol in the air.

The Boss's grin spread even further over his large face. "You're smart I am sure you will think of something." He said with unhidden mockery. "Oh and if you fail... well let's just say no one is going to be paying your bail..." He then looked up his smile grew even larger. "Or your funeral." He whispered

Both Shepard and Falcon looked at each other with the same deliberate look. They had just been dumped with a very difficult assignment; one they were not supposed to walk away from, this was way out of their niche league.

"Well what are you both standing around for, get your equipment then get to that address... I want MY... MONEY!" Bose shouted the two fools out the door which slammed close as soon as they exited.

The boss looked down to his desk and pressed a hidden button under the draw. A scaled down holographic image of a elderly man in a black suit appeared on the desk. "Did you do it?" the image questioned the Boss.

"Yes. It is done... now let's talk money" the boss dribbled.

"Not so fast my good fellow. You will get your money after I have John back. Only when have John back."

The Boss made a face that could have been likened to that of a small child who just had it lolly snatched away from it only fatter and more ugly than cute. "Fine... No double crossing now." The Boss warned.

"I wouldn't dream of it." The connection then faded and fizzled out of existence.

_**VVV**_

"Well... that went well" Falcon joked trying to lighten the mood.

"Come on let's get this over with."

"You do realise we actually have been given no information whatsoever about what we are up against." Falcon sneered.

"Yes... I know." Shepard bowed his head.

"And you also realise this is probably another plan to get rid of us."

"Yes" Shepard said weakly. "But we will get through it... we always do."

"Yes we do. But how long until we don't? Our luck can't stay with us forever, no matter how nice that would be." Falcon reasoned. "We are going to have to do something about it sooner or later."

"I suppose your right... The reds have helped me... us survive, but it is time to part ways with them."

"Exactly."

"But where would we go. I have been on the streets for five year of my life, you your entire life. It's not like we can do much, we aren't skilled, and we aren't educated. Any way the reds would kill us if we deserted them. The gang has changed so much, it's more like a merc gang now. I would even go so far to say it is more like a cult."

Falcon only smiled, "We could join the Alliance... they could protect us, plus they will educate us. We can get away from all this, go off world, explore the galaxy. Meet women..." Falcon playfully nudged Shepard in the ribs. "We are old enough, well you are, I have been old enough now for quite a while. We can enlist."

"Your right. I am old enough now. Why didn't we think of this before? We should have thought of this as soon as the gang started to get bad." Shepard berated himself.

"Because we're fools" Falcon mischievously grinned as he mocked the Boss's, most probably accurate description of the two.

Shepard laughed, Falcon always seemed to be a much needed glow in the pits of the dark place which he had landed himself into. Shepard didn't want to think where he would be without Falcon. Most likely he wouldn't even exist anymore as person but as a pile of dust.

"Just imagine it" Falcon said in a bravado, "Captain Falcon and Commander Shepard."

"Hay why am I commander? I am better than you." Shepard played on.

"Because I am older." Falcon laughed.

"Ok we will do it... but we need a plan, so the Boss doesn't catch whiff of this" Shepard cautioned. "If he does you and I are as good as dead."

"What are you talking about, we would be dead" Falcon laughed.

"Oh yeah... and that's just so much better isn't it."

"Well no... I was merely trying to point out your mistake."

"Why... Thank you so much, now if you're just about done being a smart arse, we need a plan. Preferably now."

Falcon held up his hands in surrender. "Ok. Ok. Jezz it's not like I get to laugh very often. Ok, well how about we just do this job the boss has given us, except instead of stealing the goods we tell the guards that the Reds want the cargo and ask in return they give us a lift to the nearest alliance recruiting station. Done, plan finished... let's go."

"Stop. Stop. Stop" Shepard grabbed Falcon by the arm pulling him back. "You call that a plan?"

"Yes."

"Where are the details?"

"There are none, that is the beauty in it."

"Ok. Fine but where are the backup plans?"

Falcon looked at Shepard like an abashed child, "Backup plans?"

"Yeah you know... like a plan B, in case things go sideways."

Falcon waved his hand dismissively in the air. "We don't need one of those... what could possibly go wrong?"

"Well we could get caught by the Reds."

"A minor and very unlikely scenario... now come on let's stop talking about this and actually do it, the faster the better." Falcon said as a made his way through the door leading to the armoury.

Shepard just stared after him, "The more cautious the safer" he whispered, then he too made his way into the armoury to outfit himself for the more than likely, long day ahead.

Almost an hour later, after taking many wrong turns and asking numerous people for directions, Shepard and Falcon made it to the street where the van would stop, according to Shepards clock on his omni tool, in about 5 minutes.

And unworried Falcon and troubled Shepard walked up the old tarred street counting the buildings numbers as they passed.

"Shepard? What's the address?" Falcon asked, knowing full well what it was, to break the silence between them.

"Shhh... let me think!"

Falcon gave him an accusing glare, "Think about what?" He snapped, obviously surprised in the response Shepard gave him.

"This place..." Shepard stated as if he was of in a otherworldly trance. "It seems... familiar... almost... homely... yet a prison..."

"ahh... huhh... Yeah... well that's nice! Any way we are here now" Falcon slowly spoke as he gestured to the old apartment building in front of them.

Shepards heart froze solid as a blizzard of pain howled within his dark past. That apartment. His home.

_FLASHBACK - "Your pretty fast for a 12 year old you fucked up cunt." Johns' father rage..._ _he sprinted out into the apartment's stair well and started his descent down the spiralling stairway..._ _The hateful screaming of his father began to echo faintly behind him, getting closer and closer, he had to make a choice._

"You always had a way of making the wrong choices in life... didn't you... boy!" a sharp, horribly familiar voice broke Shepard away from his past. Falcon and himself were now surrounded by heavily armed men, wearing black and purple armour with the engraving SHEPARD on their torso, Assault rifles raised.

Facing the two boys was the man that the horrible voice belonged too. Shepards father.

"John it's been too long." The now grey haired man alleged in a rather evil tone. "What's it been, four... no five years since you ran away from me..." he looked up at the grey sky reminiscing about that eventful day. "I lost my best man that day..." he finally sighed. He looked baked down at Shepard a smug smile on his face. "Look at you now, nearly a man... too bad you won't get much older than this." He laughed.

"What!" Falcon shouted in shock. Only fuelling the mad man crazed laughter further.

"How does it feel to know you are going to die?"

Shepard didn't want to look at him. Instead he kept his gaze on the floor.

"You will look at me when I address you boy!" the man ordered in a voice that could not be ignored.

Slowly Shepard raised his head, bringing the man into his view. His father shook his head. "You should have known that the past would catch up with you... it always does. Did you think, just because you got lucky..." he gestured to Falcon who had his hands to his head. "That I would not find you... when news reached me of your survival, I started to search for you right away. I sent out feelers everywhere... all over the country... all over the world. Misplacement of merchandise is not an option for my employer." The man grimaced inwardly to himself. "You may have been a failure but your body will allow us to rectify the mistake for future projects." He turned to one of the guards. "Blindfold them... take them to our headquarters." The guard saluted obediently then turned and started to march towards Shepard and Falcon.

"Wow... your dad has real issues." Falcon whispered to Shepard, who silently agreed.

Shepard and Falcon were both led into the Van quite brutally.

"SIT DOWN!" one of the guards shouted, pushing them into their seats. The door was closed and blindfolds were placed on Shepard and Falcons eyes. Blinding them to the world. Shepard felt the van lurch forward.

"Shepard? Where are they taking us?" asked Falcon in a hushed volume.

"I don't know..."

"BE QUITE BACK THERE!" A guard shouted, silencing them both for the remainder of the trip.

After about what seemed to be an hour of winding turns and boring lengths of nothingness, the van squeaked to a stop. Forcing Shepard forward into the seat in front of him. Apparently the stop had the same effect on Falcon who started swearing quite colourfully.

"Oh...fuck...my fuck'n nose... my Fuck'n bloody nose" Falcon howled.

"Quit your whining boy!" a guard snapped. An audible strike to the head soon followed ceasing the foul language.

"What did you do?" Shepard shouted, distressed with the unnatural silence of his friend. "What did you do?" he shouted at the unseen guard. Again he was answered with a lonely silence. "Answer me!" he couldn't quite remember what happened after that moment for his head was struck with a hard object. An unimaginable pain erupted within him making him cry out to no one in particular, but it was soon replaced with an icy coolness of a sort leaving him in an unfeeling, unaware state. Darkness and still images replaced time and awareness.

* * *

**So so so so sorry for leaving this. I kind of died. But dont worry I was rebuilt. **

**But in all seriousness I am very sorry. I was experiencing writers block as well as laziness as well as slight depression. so my reference to Mass effect is in a way true. I have been spending my time trying to find purpose, that required a lot of "rebuilding" and thinking.**

**This chapter might not be up to par with the rest. It might not even make sense for that I am sorry. I still have to get my writing hat on. If the chapter or my writing displeases anyone please LET ME KNOW HOW I COULD FIX IT! It would help greatly.**

**On to other news. I am pursuing my dream to become a film director by making my first debut film which will be released sometime late 2013. Yes it is a SCI FI. if you want to you can follow this by subscribing to My youtube channel "HFalconfilm" it would be greatly appreciated. This of course is entirely up to you. nothing of as of yet related directly to my untitled film has been released, only graphic and noise testing.**

**thank you to all. Happy new year as well for 2 days ago...**

**Falcon.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 – Imprisonment.

Shepards head was aflame when he awoke from his unnatural sleep. The burning fire lapped at his temples. He went to move his hand to massage the pain away, yet he found that he could not move. He looked for what was restraining him and he found it. Shackles, not the old defunct metal type, that seemed to plague films and stories, but shackles made out of pure orange energy. He struggled against them some more, trying to squeeze his hand out of them. For every second past, his attempts become more and more wild, like a caged animal. However after what felt like a very long time, without achieving anything, he finally gave up, convinced that they could not budge. He let a sigh of defeat escape from his hyperventilating lungs. So this was how he was going to end, he thought to himself. His own father would kill him. He should have recognised the address, if Falcon hadn't talked as much, he was sure they wouldn't be in this mess... They? It was just himself, Shepard realised quite suddenly. Falcon wasn't here. "Falcon" he whispered urgently into the darkness. "Falcon" he said a little louder. "Falcon talk to me... are you there?" The only thing that replied was his own echoes. Perhaps Falcon was in another cell, he hoped, for hope was all he could do.

Shepard hung there suspended in the dark cold air by his ankles and wrists for an eternity. Listening to the nothingness and the silence that chilled him more than the cold. Always his thoughts wandered back to Falcon. Was he ok? He hoped so.

By now his eyes had accustomed them self's to the darkness and he could see quite clearly see the room he was in. It was a cube like shape made out of a metal of sort. No window or lights, except for the shackles he wore around his feet and wrists, was in the room. Just the walls and a door. O one was there, he was alone. All he could do was to wait.

Sometime later that day. Or was it night. Shepard heard footsteps approaching. Louder and louder they echoed in the silence. They finally stopped outside, a long silent pause followed. Shepard held his breath, waiting for the inventible entry of his captors. On cue the door was suddenly thrown open with force, a brilliant light assaulted Shepards eyes forcing him to squint trying to filter it.

"Bring him to the audience chamber" one of the purple guards that had entered Shepard's cell ordered another two. Shepard felt himself unshackled. This was his chance, he dropped to floor and quickly picked himself up. However before he could even take a step a sharp, hot pain shot through him.

"This one is much more cunning than the other" One of the guards commented as he put his stun-bat away.

"Yeah... the other one just gave up without a fight."

"Enough chit chat... Our orders are to bring him to the audience chamber not to idly talk." The guard who had ordered the two before barked.

Shepard was then lifted onto one of the guard hulk like shoulders and carried from the cell closely followed by the other two. After passing many corridors and rooms, all of which were filled by the similar purple armoured personnel, the guard carrying Shepard stoped. Shepard was then thrown to the floor quite harshly. He was about to protest however another voice beat him to it.

"Hey fuckers leave him alone..." Falcon roared at them from the side of the hall but was silenced by a heavy punch to the chest which left him grovelling on the ground gasping for air.

"Get off him." Shepard shouted. "Its me you want... just let him go."

"You are absolutely right it is you we want..." the voice of his father echoed. Shepard spun around to face the direction his father had spoken from, sure enough he was there standing on an elevated stage looking down upon them all. "But you cannot deny my men target practice can you." He continued with a smile on his face.

"Yeah so why don't you let them shoot you..." Falcon, who had recovered, jabbed. This comment was also silenced by another punch the chest.

"Humour will get you no where here boy. I suggest you figure that one out." Shepards father casually said to Falcon. He then turned to Shepard. "Its been a long time."

"To short if ask me." Shepard responded trying to sound confident.

After carefully studying Shepard his father finally spoke again. "Why did you have to run... this could have all been avoided."

"Why did you try and have me killed?" Shepard shouted.

"You were supposed to be the future of humanity... yet the drugs seemed to have no effect on you..."

"What do you mean?" Shepard asked confused.

"The drugs we injected into you were supposed to make you stronger, more resilient. After you failed to show the symptoms within the first six months I started to beat you... hoping that the physical stimuli would unlock the symptoms, this was not the case..."

"What the hell are you babbling about?" Shepard shouted.

"Boy..." Shepards father paused thinking upon something. "John... you are a test subject for a project that would have secured humanities dominance in the dark future that has been set in motion. When you ran from me we, my master and I, had no choice but to accept that you were a failure, thus you had to be put down. Of course thanks to boy over there" he directed at Falcon. "You lived, your body was supposed to have been recovered and brought back for testing."

"What are you talking about? are you saying you beat me just to unlock the symptoms of some... drug, that I have no recollection of you injecting. And that you wanted to recover my body after I ran... this... this is - "

"The truth... Your body was to be recovered so that we, would be able to learn what went wrong with you, so that we could perfect the drug. To save humanity."

By now Shepard was completely bewildered, was this man insane... or was right? "So... I am artificlly grown?" he said trying to stay in state of calmness, which was quickly deteriorating.

"No. You were born normally."

"Then why would you do this to me... your son?"

"You aren't my child biologically, you were stolen from your parents, at birth. However since I raised you that does, technically make me your father."

"WHAT!" Shepard screamed. "YOU CAN'T BE SEREIOURS!" That was the line that pushed him over the edge. The weakened walls of his reserve collapsed around him. Tears started to threaten to spill. Was his entire life a lie? A sham? Avoidable? Somewhere in the galaxy he had parents that loved him, that mourned him. Was his life an object, subjected to an unfair game?

"Enough talk... I grow bored of this conversation. Guards take... John... To the med bay, tell the good doctor to wait for me before he begins..." He turned to Falcon. "I just need to chat to boy over here." He smiled.

"What. No!" Shepard protested but was picked up and carried away before he had the chance to do anything. He kicked and flailed, trying to get loose of the vice like grip of the guard, but the guard was strong and he held Shepard fast.

They soon had left the hall behind and had taken numerous turns and bends, all of which looked the same to Shepard. All the while he dwelled on what his father... no, that man was going to do with Falcon. And what he had said, some where he belonged, but he would never see that place now. He was shaken from his thoughts when the guard once again threw him off his shoulders. Instead of the hard landing that Shepard was expecting he landed on a soft surface. A bed. A medical bed.

"Ah good... subject one. You can leave now." The doctor in a white medical clothing ordered the guards.

"Head of operations has requested that you wait for him to arrive until you start the procedure."

"Yes. Yes. Very well, I will just get... ready. Now, please get out of my Med bay with those guns."

"Doctor do you have a thing against killing." One of the guards asked in surprise. This lifted Shepards spirit a bit, at least someone in this hell hole wasn't hell bent on killing him for a elaborate reason.

"No, I am just against killing with guns. Killing with medicine on the other hand is something I quite enjoy doing." The doctor laughed.

At this comment Shepards very little hope was crushed by the weight of the circumstances.

The doctor quickly got to work, restraining Shepard with braces, which is not easy to do when someone is squirming and throwing blind punches, Shepard was not going to make it easy for them, even if it was hopeless. But the doctor was surprisingly strong. The doctor then got some needles out filled with a luminous green liquid from what resembled a high-tech refrigerator.

"What's that?" Shepard questioned in a depressed, worried tone.

"Nothing you need to worry about in the present. You may however have to worry about in the quite near future."

"Oh my god, Is everyone here stuffed up in the brain."

"We have to be. The stuff we do, it's not a job for... normal people."

Just as Shepard was about to speak back, his _adoptive _father entered the room. "Doctor... Ah I see you are ready to begin. Well before we proceed, John... here should know what we are going to do."

"Very well." The doctor began. "In this syringe is a poison, very potent, and improved upon by many chemists. This is liquid form Ethyl 2-bispropan-2-ylaminoethylsulfanylmethylph osphinate."

"What the good doctor means to say that it is a very dangerous poison." Shepard's adoptive father said. "It's also very expensive."

"Why go to such extremities to kill me, why not just use a gun." Shepard played for precious time. Time that was drastically running out.

"Because John any physical damage done to your body means less sample to study, we need your entire body. We have to work out what went wrong."

To them he was nothing more than a test, an inanimate object. They were going to cut him up into tiny pieces; they were going to study his dead, lifeless corpse. Shepard started breathing heavily, the gravity of what had been revelled started to press down upon him. "Please... don't... I don't understand... why?"

Shepard adoptive father looked down upon him in a mixture of guilt and fear. "We need to make sure humanity survives the darkness that marches upon us."

Shepard, still in a state of utter confusion and sadness, couldn't understand. What darkness?

"Enough time has already been lost... my master grows impatient, do it doctor." Shepard's adoptive father nodded.

"WAIT! Before you do this... please... please can you answer one question?" Shepard cried. He just wanted to know a bit about his real parents, before he died, he wanted to know who he truly belonged to.

The doctor looked to his superior, Shepards father. "Very well one question."

"Who were my parents?" Shepard asked, a tear running down his cheek.

"Admiral Hannah Jameson of the Alliance and Captain Reece Jameson of the Alliance."

Shepard felt a sharp prick in his arm. Then numbness. This was it. Seconds past and the numbness grew. Spreading throughout his entire body. Then without warning it stopped. Was he dead? He opened his eyes to see a very shocked doctor and an even more shocked adoptive father. If this was heaven he didn't like it. If this was hell... well he didn't do many bad things in his life.

"I... I... Don't... understand. Only a few milligrams would have been enough to kill, I gave him four grams... this... this isn't possible... this... this is wrong." The doctor said fearfully.

"No. This is right." Shepard adoptive father whispered in shock. "The drug works. It works."

"No it doesn't, it should have killed him."

"Not that drug. Drug Shepard works. Shepard works." Shepards adoptive father said more excitedly. "John try to break free."

Unsure to why he would ask this question yet not in a position to find out Shepard tried, his muscles bulged but the restraints were stronger.

"Interesting, the adaptability side of the Shepard works but the strength enhancer doesn't. Doctor, my master will want news of this, perform adaptability tests while I am gone."

"Yes sir."

Shepard's father then left leaving the doctor and a restrained Shepard in thoughtful silence.

After about five minutes of pure stillness Sheppard, finally coming out of his shock, broke it. "ummmm... what happened?" he stuttered. Unsure as to what the reaction of the obviously clinically insane and probably 'most wanted' doctor would be.

"What happened? Indeed!" the doctor narrowed his eyes into slits. Never before had anyone who he intended to kill lived to talk again, he planned to keep it that way, he would run the adaptability test, but on another level entirely. There were limits to the amount of adaptability of the other patient showed.

In the hours that followed Shepard was then injected with numerous amounts of drugs all of which had no affected on him what so ever, increasing the fury of the doctor while also making him quite nauseous. The boys ability to adapt was through the roof, it bypassed the highly successful subject two, who was considered by most in the organisation, the key to humanities deliverance.

"There, is one last test I would like to perform before I conclude." The doctor said as if Shepard had a choice. He then revealed yet another syringe. "do you know what this is?"

Shepard shock his head, quite sure he didn't want to know what was in the syringe. Anything that is saved till last is always bad news.

"This is a reconstructed hybrid form of Atrax robustus venom, it is highly lethal." After getting a confused look from Shepard he elaborated. "Reengineered Funnel-Web venom." Even the thought of that infamous spider made Shepard shudder. Having received the response he wanted the doctor continued. He injected Shepard without warning with the all the content of the syringe. He then waited.

"I don't understand..." he finally said after patiently waiting for thirty minutes. Medicine defeated, he slumped down into his chair. Depressed. He slowly guided his hands to the intercom button.

"Please escort subject one back to his cell."

Within moments the three guards that had 'escorted' Shepard from his cell to here entered the lab. They quickly undid the straps around him and carried him back to his cell, deep within the complex. He found himself quickly suspended in the air by the orange shackles when they arrived. He was to exhausted to put up a fight, emotionally and physically. His body couldn't move a muscle. Probably a side effect from all the drugs and poisons that were injected into to him.

Nature slowly took its course, as it always does, Shepard fell into an involuntarily sleep.

Over the next couple of day's more tests were done on Shepard, all of which would have been normally fatal and all of which Shepard came back from relatively unscathed. These tests ranged from more poison injections, to being subjected to heat, mostly in the hundreds of degrees. The strange thing was however that even with this newfound ability, apparently the product of some drug, he was still vulnerable to physical abuse, from the guards mostly.

Shepard saw Falcon very few times, and when he did the moments were filled with happiness and anger, for each time he did see him, Falcon would look more worn and sick than the last time. Whatever they were doing to him was taking its toll.

The days clanked by slowly, yet steadily, almost mechanically, due to the daily routine Shepard was forced into. Wake up, tests, go to bed, or in this case being suspended in the air by shackles hoping that sleep would find you and steel you away from the pain, if only for a little bit.

Sometimes screams could be heard reverberating throughout the building, they would last for ages only to be followed by a deathly calm, Shepard could only shudder and pray that it wasn't Falcon, even though the thought of someone else going through experiments, if that was what they were, was still quite distasteful.

Days turned to weeks and still there was no change in the routine except for that the tests were becoming more drastic and more painful. Which according to Shepards father, was necessary in order to gain a full understanding on how the drug, SHEPARD works.

Shepard still had no inkling on a clue as to why this drug was so important and what it was for. The only answer he ever got was that it would secure human dominance in the dark future. Whatever that meant?

None of it mattered to Shepard any more the only thing that was important now was getting out with Falcon, he had hoped that if he cooperated that would simply eventually let them go, but as the days continued to pass by without the hint or smell of freedom, Sheppard wondered if they would ever get out. He was becoming desperate. So desperate he started to do something that he had never truly done before: he prayed. Surly if there was a higher being up there it would hear his pleas for help. He prayed ever night, or was it day... praying to be set free from this oppression, this life. But nothing ever happened it never did. Until one normal morning.

Shepard awoke to the sound of gunfire. Where there was usually an eerie quite was now a storm of battle. Explosions rocked the entire building, making dust fall from the roof. Cries of agony ripped through the walls like a howling wind. What was happening?

The blaring sounds got closer and closer to his cell; they were no longer muffled by distance. They were now upon him, assaulting his ears.

Trying desperately to block out the noise Shepard, without avail, tried to move his hands to his ears. But as always the shackles held fast.

By now the battle was almost upon him, yet it was smaller, less and less shots were being fired. Which side was winning? Was this unknown side any better? Shepard certainly hoped so.

The fighting stoped. A thick mist of suspense filled Shepards lungs. Who would come through that door? Would it be his salvation or his doom? So many questions rushed through his head in mere seconds. Had his prayers been answered? Was falcon alright? That was the question that scared him the most, he didn't care if his father's army had won, he now didn't care if the unknown force had won, he only cared if Falcon was alright.

The door opened, more slowly than usual, letting rays of light reflect of the dust in the room. Shepard was temporarily blinded, but when his vision cleared he saw silhouetted in the door, the shape of men. Slowly they stepped through, rifles raised, in a cautious stance. As they stepped more clearly into the light Shepard saw the engraved blue symbol that each of them bore. The alliance. Relief flooded his body.

The men seeing that the room's occupant was a prisoner quickly lowered their guns.

"Sir." One of them said into their communication system. "We have a prisoner on level 3, please send for medics."

As the solider talked to his superior another one turned off the shackles letting Shepard down catching him as he fell to the ground. "It's ok now, you're safe" the solider comforted.

Shepard caring little for himself quickly pipped up frantically. " Did you find any other prisoners?"

The solider looked down sadly. "sorry, you're the only one." He said in a sombre tone.

Shepard held back the tears and nodded acceptingly. What had happened to Falcon?

"Come on." The solider said slowly. "let's get you out of here." The solider then at that moment helped a weak Shepard, walk out of his cell without restraint. He was free. But Falcon wasn't.

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**I am sorry if this isn't up to your standards, Please review and tell me where I went wrong and how I can fix it. all the best.**

**Falcon.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Before you start I would like to say thank you very much for all the positive feedback. I would also like to say that this is your story just as much as it is mine, if you want something changed or revised or added, just ask and I will see what I can do. not everything can be done, due to keeping the story I have in mind ****accurate, but I will try. many people have PM'ed me some Ideas that they think would be good to the story. I have read and quite frankly loved the fact that so many of you care about what happens. **

**Yep I think that is about it from me. remember if you think the story is bad, good, or just stupid, please review.**

**Thank you all.**

**Falcon.**

* * *

Chapter 11 – Grading.

Tali sat in the middle of a great, grey, room, filled with people. This was her last examination of her last school cycle. The air was filled with the nervousness of a thousand Quarians who also sat there, waiting for the exam to begin. All of whom were a lot older than Tali.

Tali had been accelerated numerous times for being eons ahead of most of her age group. She was now sixteen in Quarian years whereas; her fellow class mates were now twenty one. This considerable age gap was unheard of, but Tali was gifted. Being an admirals daughter came with expectations of being the best of the best, there was no room in her life for fun or games, she was an example of her families power, or at least she was in her father's mind, and her father was a very cold, calculating man now. Of course he was still her father, yet he wasn't her guardian, he mostly looked after his fleet instead of his daughter, that responsibility lied with Admiral Raan, A close friend of the Zorah family and a motherly figure to Tali.

"Today, you will sit the final examination" the Quarian at the front of the room informed, silencing the nervous chatter. "Just like all the other exams you are expected to complete all questions to the best of you ability." He paused, giving students time to absorb the information. "Today's test is Alien General. When you have finished answering questions on your omnitool, you may submit it to the universal file for grading." The Quarian paused again, before saying in a commanding voice. "Please activate your omnitools."

Tali started hers up, as did the rest of the room's occupants. A orange haze settled over the area

"You may begin."

As soon as those words were said Tali straight away opened the test up and started to write her answers down very quickly. She had a father to impress.

The Questions ranged from:

_What is the average life span of a Salarian?_

_What is the Asari's home planet called? _

_Why are Turians dextro amnio?_

_What year did the Volus join the Turians?_

_In order from first to last, name the Species that found the citadel?_

All the questions were rather simple for Tali, who had studied long hours every day for months for this moment. Nothing was going to stop her from making her father proud. She needed to make her father proud and doing well in these exams would help Tali do just that. If she did well then she would be allowed to go on her Pilgrimage, where she would find something to bring back for the fleet.

_In comparison to Rannoch before the morning war which Alien home world is most similar and why? _That question caught her off guard. What alien home world was most similar to Rannoch? She had no idea. She knew what Rannoch was like from the amount of books and pictures that still existed, but nowhere in her study did it talk about similarities with other planets. She would have to come back to this question after she finished.

_What species is most like Quarians?_ Well Turians ate the same food as they did, however Asari looked similar. Another question for her to come back to.

Tali continued to answer all the questions at a extremely fast rate. All the questions about Salarians Asari and Turians were easy, in fact the only questions that she had trouble with was the questions about humans. This was not because she wasn't smart, or she had forgotten the information. It was because that she didn't actually bother to research anything to do with humans, it would have been a waste of her time, as well as that she honestly didn't want know anything about the horrible race that had murdered her mother.

Tali continued to scroll through the test answering everything not to do with humanity. It took her the better part of three Rannoch hours but she finally finished.

She quickly revised all her answers, content with them she went back to the questions that gave her problems. _In comparison to Rannoch which Alien home world is most similar and why? _This question was unknown to her, she actually never thought that another planet would be like Rannoch. She sieved through her brain searching for clues on the answer yet she found nothing. Giving up she moved onto the other question: _What species is most like Quarians?_ Again she had no idea what the answer was to this, she had always thought that her species was unique not similar to others, sure Quarians looked like Asari, but that didn't mean they were in anyway similar. Turians ate the same food as them but they were in no way similar to them. She started to fidget with her purple hood as she visualised each and every species. Elcor, Volus, Asari, Turians, Batarians, Vorcha, Krogan, Hanar, Salarians, Drell... Humans, now that she thought of it she didn't actually know what humans looked like under amour, for that is all she had seen. During her studies it didn't even occur to her that maybe Humans would be set in the test, she was to focused on not thinking about them. After fidgeting a while longer she finally concluded that Asari were the most similar on the evidence of looks and genetic flexibility.

Checking over her test for a final time, making sure she hadn't left anything out that didn't have to do with Humans, all of which she didn't answer. Happy she sent her test for grading. Hoping her father would understand her reason for not caring about humanity. She then got up and made her way to the door, respectively thanking her teacher as she left.

Tali briskly walked through the white corridors, all while thinking about all those answers she left out. Why did they even bother to include a race such as humans in a test like this, it made no sense to her, they weren't even important. They will never be important. Why couldn't have the Turians ended them she thought. Her genocidal thoughts were quickly interrupted by someone calling her name.

"Tali. Tali." A squeaky high pitched female voice pestered. Turning around Tali saw that the voice belonged to no other than Lia' Vael, A... annoying acquaintance of hers, she always seemed to be at her heels or getting her into to trouble, She also had a nasty habit of being blamed for things that weren't her fault. "Lia" Tali greeted half heartedly. "How did find the exam?"

Lia sighed, an obvious sign that she didn't think she did very well, not that Tali needed a sign, Lia was after all not quite up to par with Quarian standards, not yet at least, she was trying hard. "I found the questions on the council races easy, but the other races..." she waved her hand in the air in a dismissive way. "I had no clue."

"Didn't you study?" Tali said in a monotone voice trying to make it apparent that she didn't want to participate in conversation at the present the time.

Not taking the hint Lia answered with a fiery defence in her voice, "I did so. I just didn't study everything that was required."

"Why? If a teacher tells you to study something, you study it, there is no question." Tali said as if it was apparent, yet she herself did exactly the same thing, she didn't study about humans. What a hypocrite she was being, but at least she had a reason, didn't she?

"I know, I know, I just thought that it wasn't going to be in the test."

Tali put her hand to her visor to visually show Lia how wrong she is. "Lia, sometimes that is the case." She said trying to extinguish the fire she was about to shove in her visor, "But for a test like this don't you think it was a bit stupid to risk it, if you fail you will have to wait another year until you can start your pilgrimage."

The gravity of the situation fell on Lia like a mining vessel; if she did fail collectively, she would have to wait another year to do the test again in order to be applicable to start her pilgrimage. Being held back from the pilgrimage was often looked upon very sternly by the admirals, it was considered to be a disgrace, being held back from helping the fleet. If she was held back her choice in ship after she returned would be much smaller and less grand. "Oh Bosh' tet" she swore, making a few passer bys look at her with severity.

"Please don't use that word." Tali sighed, "It is a disgusting word that shouldn't be said in public."

"Well you would say it if you just realised that you just stuffed up you exam. Wouldn't you?"

"No I wouldn't. Any way I should get going." Tali said as she turned to leave. "Bye."

"Yeah... Bye" Lia waved sulkily, it wasn't Tali's fault she felt this way, she had only said the truth, yes the truth hurt, but that's life is it not? Her father had told her that.

She walked with a bounce all the way to her family cubicle, she was just so happy that her last exam was finished. Yes she was a little bit worried that her last exam might dent her final collective score but did it matter, her score probably will be still very good. Probably.

On arriving at her family cubicles entrance she placed her hand in the recognition lock system, opening the door allowing her to enter. No greeting was called out for she knew that no one was going to be there, lest of all her father, he was probably at some important meeting with the other admirals.

It did hurt not being raised by her father, but she did understand, the fleet came before any one person, even if that person is someone you love very much, that is why, Tali guessed, her father was able to cope with mother's death more easily, Tali knew he still was hurt, but not as much as her.

Tali opened a draw in the kitchen searching through its content for anything nice to eat, as always there was nothing but nutrient paste in different, mostly sickly, general flavours that were categorised into meals. She rummaged through the diner selection: Steak with Vegetables, Steak with herbs, steak with sauce, all of which sounded appetising, yet were quite the opposite, only by eating it for most of one's life was it barely bearable. Tali didn't even know what type of Steak it was.

She choose the Steak with sauce. Unscrewing the top carefully, making sure not to puncture the safety seal, which would allow foreign bacteria to infiltrate it. Attaching it to underneath her mask she slowly sucked the unsavoury meal from its tube.

"So how was the exam today?" the unexpected voice of Auntie Raan said, making Tali splutter in surprise.

"Auntie" Tali said as she turned to face Admiral Raan, who was standing in the door way. "I didn't see you. You gave me a scare."

"Oh... I am terribly sorry Tali" She said in a way that Tali knew she wasn't. Out of all the admirals Raan was the most light hearted and carefree. She enjoyed a joke just as much as the next person. That is probably what made her a motherly figure in the eyes of Tali, as well as for all ways being around to help her when her father wasn't.

"So how was your exam?" She asked Tali again as she opened a draw and pulled out a tube of nutrient paste.

"Well... I think I did well" Tali said confidently yet with a hint of worry.

"You think?" Auntie Raan questioned.

Tali shut her eyes trying to remove the worry that had laced itself into her mind. "No... No... I did well, I did well."

Auntie Raan silted her eyes in suspicion, usually Tali would be direct if she did well, she wouldn't dawdle with her words. "Oh... thats nice. What were some of the questions you were asked?"

"Well there was question like, what is the name of the Asari home planet and what is the average lifespan of a Salarian. All the usual stuff."

"Thats good. Were there any hard question?"

Tali thought about it for a second then replied, "Yes there was actually."

"What were they? Did you work them out?"

Tali looked down. "Well one I didn't know at all and the other I made an educated guess."

"And what were they? Maybe I can tell you the answer so you know next time you are asked. You never know when the information might come invaluable."

"Well the first question I got stuck on was In comparison to Rannoch before the morning war which Alien home world is most similar and why?"

"Ahh... that is quite a mean question to put in a test. The answer to it is Earth and it is because of its near identical Radius and mass as well as the fauna and the flora are very similar except for the fact that pollen is carried by insects, Earth geography is also very similar. Does that help."

"Ahh, yes just one thing which species home planet is called Earth, for I have never heard of it?"

"It is the Human home planet."

"What? How could their planet be similar to Rannoch, that is just absurd."

As always Tali's hatred for humanity outweighed reason. Raan didn't want to push the subject so she let it slide. "Ok what about the other question?" she asked trying to change the subject.

Tali calmed down a bit due to the subject change. "What species is most like Quarians? I said that it was the Asari due to their appearance and their genetic flexibility."

Oh dear Raan thought another question where the answer is related to humanity, Tali is not going like this. It was strange that Tali didn't know this one however because it was quite obvious if you picked up any trashy bio book, it was as if Tali didn't know anything about humans. That got Raan worried. "Tali, what test did you have today again?"

"You know Auntie, Alien General. So was I right?"

"...No"

"So what was the answer?"

"Humans."

"WHAT..." Tali lost her composure, "You aren't serious; tell me this is one of you bad jokes."

Raan shock her head.

"What how? How can they be anything like us, they are monsters." Tali shrieked. To know that her people were similar to Humans made her feel sick on the inside.

"Tali you can't possibly label them all as monsters."

"Yes. I can."

"No you can't just because She was killed by them doesn't mean they are all like that." Raan reasoned. But Tali wasn't going to heed a word of it, she didn't care, she hated them all, and nothing and no one was ever going to change that.

"Just how are they similar" she said 'they' in a disgusted tone.

"They are mammals like as, they live for the same amount of time like us, Aside from hands and legs, their general body shape and sexual dimorphism is similar to us. There body uses haemoglobin to carry oxygen around like us, so the only major difference is that we eat very different food. That is all."

Tali didn't know what to say, how could they be so similar, they are disgusting creatures with no remorse, how could they be so similar?

"I know, how you feel about them, I really do. But do you think it is fair to treat them that way for the actions of a few."

Tali scrunched up her face, even though no one could see it. "Of course it is fair. I hate them, I will always hate them, they are nothing but a pestilence on the galaxy."

"Tali if you go out into the galaxy when you're on your pilgrimage with this attitude, well lets just say you are going to have to deal with a lot of humans."

"I would rather date a ball-less Krogan." She hissed meaning every word of it.

"Tali mind your manners." Raan's paternal side kicked in. "You wanted to know the answers and now that I have told you, you just wish to find a reason as to why they are not true." She had never seen Tali lose her temper like this before. She knew that talking about humans was a prickly subject for Tali, but she didn't realise how big the problem was.

Tali recoiled, she had gone too far, yes she hated humans but it was wrong of her to try to push these felling onto other people as well. "I am sorry Auntie." She whispered.

"That's quite all right dear. I am sorry too for provoking the situation." Raan said in a soft forgiving tone. It's been a hard examination block for her, she deserved some downtime. "If you want we two can go to the theatre to reward your hard work?"

"I would love to, but it would take months to get a reservation."

"Hush... being an admiral has its advantages." Raan said in a mockingly wicked way.

"Ok... I would love that."

"Come on then Tali." Raan beckoned Tali to the door. Leading her out, the two ladies made there way to the only theatre on the migrant fleet. Tali was sure she wouldn't be allowed in, but as it turned out, being a admiral did have it's advantages, Tali saw this as a rather unfair yet useful tool (if it effected you).

After the film, Tali was utterly spent, she had enjoyed the film as it was a luxury that was rarely bestowed upon her, yet it was still tiering, she needed to sleep. She thanked her Aunt for night as well as apologising once again for her out of line behaviour and made her way home.

When she arrived her father was still not home, this was not an odd occurrence. Sometimes it would be days until she saw him again, and during those short times they were not spent as father and daughter, but teacher and student... very strict teacher and student.

Tali quietly made her way to her bed, if that is what you call it, for it was more of a pod than a bed. She lay herself down on the hard yet supportive surface and slowly and surly fell into a deep sleep that robbed her of the worries of the day ahead. Instead it planted the seeds for new worries.

_Tali found herself in a familiar setting, looking on at a familiar scene._

"_Tali, Rael is sorry that he couldn't make it, but he has a responsibility to others as well as his family now with this new promotion." Tali's mother tried to comfort her._

"_I know mum, it's just ..." Tali was cut off by a wail of sirens, the room flashed blood red as the emergency siren cried. The sound of screams and frantic running could be heard from outside. Everything was becoming a haze of noise and colour._

_Fading out a new image took the form of her father._

"_The investigators have found the reason behind the Rayya tragedy... _It was murder... A human... organisation boarded and sabotaged the ship..." _the two words that echoed in Tali's mind was 'murder' and 'Human', they taunted her with their meaning. _

_Images started to flash in and out of existence, snippets of the horrible disaster that had befallen her. They swarmed around her like an ever elusive gas, suffocating her of any clarity or understanding. She tried to push them away, yet they avoided her attacks, closing the distance very fast._

_Tali looked on in horror as she saw the security footage of the Rayya play back. The humans talked amongst themselves, plotting. It was then they did something she hadn't seen, they took their helmets off. They looked like her, they looked almost Quarian._

Tali bolted up right in her bed, she could feel the thick beads of sweet that had accumulated on her face slowly dry as her helmets waste system cleared it breathing was heavy and distorted.

"Tali?" a voice asked worried.

She turned to face her father, Rael. "Y – Y – Yes" she stuttered half in surprise and half in fear of the dream that she had awoken from.

"Are you... alright?"

"Of course Father, no need to worry." Tali regained her composure.

"That's good." Dismissed Rael as he turned to leave, most likely to his pod.

Tali couldn't get back to sleep now, not after the new scene, from her old nightmare, still fresh in her mind. The Humans, they looked so similar to Quarians. So she got up, to afraid to venture back into the land of dreams, at least right now. She didn't want to see her people likened to monsters, monsters that stole so much from her.

When the artificial morning came, Tali, who was still awake, left her cubicle in search for something constructive to do. In the mindset of every Quarian, being lazy wasn't something that could be afforded very often; everyone had to do something to help with the everyday maintenance of the ship. Also her father had told her, categorically, to help where help is needed in order to gain the trust of the crew. Being an admirals daughter meant that everyone would one day look to her for guidance, if she was deemed worthy to be chosen to become a part of the admiralty board, which in order to one must have family ties, as well as popularity among the fleet. Becoming popular throughout the fleet meant that you had brought back something of great worth from the pilgrimage. Tali was determined to become an Admiral, it would be the day her father would be proud of her, the exams she had just completed will help her achieve this.

As she walked, she passed many of the nightshift workers returning home from their long cycle. the Quarian ships had to manned every second of each day, so they split the crew into two parts, one for one half of the day, and one for the other, this way no station on the ship was left unintended.

Tali eventually found her Aunty Raan, overview repairs on a fuel line that must have become damaged while Tali was sleeping. It was not a rare occurrence for something like this to happen. Most of the ships of the migrant fleet were falling apart as it was, due to being upgraded so many times. Some of the ships dated back to the escape from Rannoch, at the end of the morning war when the Geth, their own creations drove them from their home world.

"Admiral Raan?" Tali called her by her formal name in public as sign of respect.

"Tali? What are you doing here, your day doesn't officially star for another hour." Raan asked.

"I know. It's just that I couldn't sleep, so I went to find someone to help." She paused. "Could I help you?"

Raan smiled, this is the Tali she knew, putting herself out for other always considerate, not the hate fuelled Tali who hated humans. "Why thank you dear. Perhaps you could get the soldering iron and fix up the circuitry that was damaged? She nodded at the wall where a ugly mess of wires protruded from.

"Off course Auntie... opps I mean Admiral." Tali corrected.

Raan just laughed, "Thats quite alright Tali."

"Do you know where the soldering Iron is?"

"It is in that toolbox over there."

Tali went to the tool box and started to carefully search through it for the soldering iron. After finding it at the bottom with a coil of solder, she quickly got to work on her appointed task.

It was at first very hard to see where she was soldering and to what link she was soldering too. She started very slowly and carefully, but eventually, as she put more and more wire back into their appropriate positions it became more easy and fast. Tali was having such a fun time repairing the circuit that she completely forgot what the time was. It wasn't until her aunt came up behind her and startled her, again, did she know just how long she had been working on the blown circuit.

"Tali I think you have done more than enough." Raan said to her.

"Oh no it fine I am almost done, it won't be long now till this thing is one hundred percent operational."

Raan looked at Tali with a proud smile. "Ok, just remember to finish up soon so you will have time to collect your results from you teacher."

"Oh don't worry, I will." Tali confirmed, satisfying the Admiral.

When Tali finished, another hour or so later, she was covered in bits of solder that she had to pick out of the fabric parts of her exo – suit. Many of the workers thanked her for her generous act as she left to pick up her collective mark for all the exams, that she had completed during her recent exam block. She being the self giving person that she was said it was nothing and that she enjoyed every minute of it.

Upon arriving at the collection office, there was already a large queue of student who were also picking up their results. She made her way to the back of the line to await her turn.

As Tali stepped into the queue someone taped her on the shoulder. Turning to face the direction of the person who tapped her shoulder, but there turned out to be no one there. Odd, Tali thought to herself. She turned back to face the front and their standing in front of her, waving, was Lia. Tali jumped back in surprise, Lia started to laugh at the reaction.

"I... got you so good." She said through a fit of laughter.

"Very mature Lia." Tali irritably growled, her good mood plummeting to the floor.

"Ohhh. Don't be like that... it was funny." Lia reasoned, still slightly giggling.

Out of all the Quarians on this ship, no this fleet, Lia was the worst. "What are you doing here?" Tali asked just to stop the annoying girl in front of her from continuing to laugh.

"Picking up my results why else would I be here." Lia stated. At least she stopped laughing. "In fact I already got them, I was heading back home, but couldn't resist to surprise you."

"You did? What did you get." Tali asked genuinely.

"Seventy five percent" Lia squealed. This came as a pleasant surprise to Tali who was sure that it was going to much lower than this.

"Well done, congratulations." Tali praised, surprised and happy for her annoying acquaintance.

"Well... thanks" Lia patted Tali on the arm affectionately. "I hope you get what you want. Bye Tali." Lia farewelled as she ran off to show her parents her surprising results.

"Yes..." Tali said under her breath. To be honest Tali was slightly anxious of her marks. She needed to have the very best; her father needed her to have the very best.

The line slowly but surely started to dissolve, Tali soon found herself at the front about to receive her results for exams that she had studied around the cloak for.

"Tali." Her teacher greeted. "Well done." he handed her a data chip that held the collective results. "You should be very proud, no doubt your father will be very proud."

"Thank you Sir." Tali smiled. She then moved to the side to allow the person behind her to receive their results. She wasted no time in placing the chip in her Omni tools reader. She brought up the file and skimmed through to the very end. The number that greeted her, like her teacher said was something to be very proud of. A ninety seven percent.

She quickly closed down her Omni tool running back home, where hopefully her father still was.

She entered her cubicle in a flash, she had ran so fast to get back she couldn't actually remember most of the journey, it was just a blur. She was so excited to show her father.

"Father?" she called out. "Father?"

"Yes?" he answered as he appeared from around a corner. "What is it?"

"Father, I have my results back" she excitedly said. Holding out her hand with the ship in it. Her father took it then placed it in his own omni tool. There was along stagnant pause of anticipation as Rael read over the results. unexpectantly the door opened and Aunty Raan came through.

" Aunty Raan." Tali smiled. " I got my results back."

"I know. I saw you run past me very quickly." Raan laughed. She then turned to her fellow admiral, Rael. "So how did she do?" she asked confidently.

"Ninety seven percent." Rael said.

"WELL DONE TALI" Raan gasped as she embraced Tali. For such a young person to get such an excellent result was amazing. She was just like her mother.

"Thanks Aunty." Tali said, returning the hug in full.

"So Rael?" what do you think" Raan asked.

"It's a good mark" he started in a mono tone voice. Tali's happiness sparkled to life. "But you could have done a lot better." Then that happiness was crushed under her father's words.

"W – w – what?" she questioned her lip quivering slightly. She had given her absolute best, yes she lost a few marks on the human question but still for some one of her age, for any age for that matter, it was still a fantastic mark.

"I mean that you could have applied yourself more. You only got ninety seven percent that means that you applied ninety seven percent of yourself. If you want to be an admiral you will have to give one hundred percent."

"Rael?" Raans disbelieving voice questioned his judgment.

"But father?"

"There are no 'buts' when you are an admiral, that is the reality of command."

Tali's throat felt hard. She tried to gulp back her sadness, but it was not working. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek.

"Rael how could you? You know as well as I do Tali's mark is very, VERY, good. " Raan defended. "Why even Tali's mother at the same age got a very similar mark."

"It's not about being good; it's about being the best. And don't bring Her into this."

"I cannot believe you" Raan pointed her figure accursedly. She then turned Tali around and started to walk her out the door with her arm wrapped around her shoulder, comforting the sad girl.

"Where are you going?" Rael raised an eyebrow.

"Away from you." Raan snapped as she lead Tali out the door, leaving Rael behind.

Admiral Raan walked Tali all the way to her own cubicle where she sat Tali down and gave her something to eat.

"Tali I don't want you to listen to him, your mark is very good." Raan resolutely said.

"Ok... It's just... I Really thought he would be proud of me... Doesn't he love me?" Tali's voice wavered with sadness.

"Awww. Dear" cooed said as she sat next to Tali putting her arm around her. "Of course he does. He loves you very much. He... just has a hard time showing it."

"I want to believe that... but sometimes... sometimes... I don't know what to believe any more."

"Tali, what did your father promise on the day you mother died... tell me child, what did he swear to you he would do."

A small smile spread onto Tali's face at the thought of it. " He said that he promised he would build me a house on the home world. Just for the two of us, and..." she giggled. "... and my future partner."

"See." Raan smiled. "Only someone who loved you with every fibre of their body would say something like that. Tali your father loves you with every fibre in his body, he just wants what's best for you."

"I know... I know he loves me."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – The grievances of a mother.

A pen tapped patiently in a constant rhythm. A woman listened as its pulsation continued, focusing on this beat, the beat of life. Life? What fickle thing, it had the ability to make one so happy, so accomplished. A life of happiness was an illusion, one day you would wake up and smell the roses, life was cruel. There was no halcyon in existence, only misery and tumult.

The cold woman sitting patiently listening to the pen had once thought that life could only get better and better, but she like so many others found out the truth. To her life was like running through a crocodile infested swamp, blinded and bound, vulnerable to every whim. Biting and tearing, it always hungered for sacrifice, for loss, for betrayal.

At one point during her journey through this marsh, she had found a sheltered alcove, there she found happiness. She had thought that the marsh was all but left behind, that she would always stay protected by the walls of lively trees that grew strong not sickly. But it was not to be.

One night she made her way back, to the husband she had left to look after their children, from a rather heated session of military training. She arrived in a good mood, confident in her families ability to make her forget the pains of the day. But instead she found nothing. At first she thought that her husband, James Reece had taken the children shopping, so she sat down to wait for them. After 30 minutes of waiting dark thoughts started to haunt her mind, another hour she was in hysterics, she contacted everybody, asking them whether they had seen her family. No one had, on the verge of a panic attack she contacted the police they said they would find her family, they told her to stay put and wait. And she waited, for 18 years she had waited. The day that she had lost her family, her life. She was forced to battle against the swamp by herself, no one to turn to, and no one to help. This of course made her into the hard military woman she was known for today. She held no emotion, no fear, nothing. She was the model that all the alliance was based on.

Offcourse in the beginning the Alliance was reluctant to let her back in, being traumatised and all. They made her take physiological tests, which offcourse she failed. However after failing enough times she found that in order to lie to doctors, one had to lie to themselves. So she forgot her worries, her loves, her pains. She forgot.

"Ma'am." A staff sergeant saluted as he walked passed, interrupting her ruminations. She blinked her eyes, the beat had stopped long ago. She sat on the edge of her seat a while longer, making sure her uniform was immaculate as she waited to be seen by the Head of Alliance Security .

After waiting a while longer a little voice rose up from the silence. "Ma'am. He will see you now." A pretty little secretary announced from across the room, behind her desk, who looked agitated in the cold woman's presence

"Thank you." She said in her normal, cold, calculating voice, which held no feeling. The secretary nodded and quickly put her head down pretending to do work.

Commodore Hannah Jameson made her way briskly through the doors leading to the office eager to get this meeting over with so she could shoot some more targets with live ammo.

"Ah, Commodore." A bald man sitting behind a great desk greeted her as she entered.

"Sir!" she saluted, quickly bringing herself to attention in the blink of an eye.

"At ease Commodore."

"Thank you sir. You wished to see me in relation to my next assignment."

"Yes. Yes I did. The other admirals and I have been discussing with great debate on what you next appointment should be, and it is unanimously agreed that you have proven yourself time and time again." The bald admiral commended.

"Thank you Sir." Hannah replied with no feeling.

Eyeing her for a second the admiral continued. " they like myself believe you are more than capable of leading from a higher position, so it has been decided that you should be promoted to the rank of Full admiral."

Before Hannah had the chance to reply the bald admiral put up his hands. "There is no need for words of thanks. Admiral, just a stout heart and the willingness to get the job done." However the Head of Alliance Security doubted that the now Admiral Jameson would ever show gratitude to anyone or anything, that is what made her Ideal for the position.

"Absolutely Sir!" she practically shouted.

"I am glad to hear it. Your first assignment with your new rank will be the overseeing of the crackdown on this new Terrorist organisation."

The organisation he was referring to had become public a few days ago when the Alliance, following the information given by an informant, had neutralised the terrorists in a bunker that had been stationed in Australia. That was all the information that was released to the public.

"You will of course be given full access to the information regarding this operation."

"Of course."

The old admiral then paused, he looked from side to side suspiciously. "Between you and me." He whispered, forcing Hannah to lean forward to hear. "This is a very important operation, it cannot fail. We don't want another Cerberus on our hands. Our view in the eyes of the galactic community is at stake. If they think that we can't control our own population, I fear that they will try to control it for us."

Hannah nodded in agreement, she held no love for the aliens. "I understand."

"Good... make sure you don't fail... for all our sakes."

"I won't" she said as she stood to her full height. Her breast sticking out, full of purpose.

The bald admiral merely nodded and stood up to his full height. "You have been given a complete task force to run, fitted with just about everything, a dreadnaught, two battalions of marines, the finest medical and tech teams you will ever meet, plus hand selected officers. It is a deadly force, it would be wise for you get to know them."

Hannah inwardly groaned, she didn't like to socialise with people, well not to get to know them. "Of course Sir."She respectfully obeyed, showing no sign of hesitation in her calm voice.

After her unexpected promotion to Admiral, she had been introduced to her subordinates. They ranged from the competent, battle hardened veterans, a dynasty that she too was apart. There was also the fresh officers from university, that thought light shown out of their arses , waving around their little diplomas like they were ingrained with pure gold, for all Hannah care they waved around used toilet paper. They would learn in time that life wasn't going to hand them out anything just because they could earn a certificate. Hannah thought how fun and fulfilling it would be to break them. As well as that there was the common foot soldiers that had the consistency of insects, she hadn't meet them all personally, instead they were put out on parade, where she addressed them as a group.

Hannah soon found herself talking to a clean looking, irritating sergeant. "Ma'am it is truly an honour to be under your leadership."

She narrowed her eyes at the obvious sucking up this man was doing.

"You are renowned throughout the entire navy as the best of the best. If you don't mind me asking to you think you could sign my breastplate?"

_Sign his what_? Was this man insane... she had to get rid of him, for both their sakes, her mental and his physical. Anyway she hated paperwork."Sergeant, how many vehicles are under my control?" she asked, knowing full well the answer.

The annoying sergeant scratched the back of his head. " I... I don't know. I could always find out for you though. Just say the word.

"Why thank you." She mocked emotion, nearly throwing up on the sergeant in the process. "Could you find out right away then report back to me?"

"Yes absolutely ma'am" he saluted as he made his way to find out.

Hannah sighed in relief. Talking to people wasn't her strong point. Her ears soon picked up the footsteps coming closer towards her from behind. She turned around to be met by an aged captain. He saluted her, with perfect drill technique. "Ma'am. Captain Anderson reporting, I am here to pass on a request from the head of the medical unit on this dreadnaught, she wishes to speak to you at your earliest connivance."

"Couldn't she have relayed her request through you... or was that to difficult?"Hannah taunted even though the captain had done nothing wrong.

"Ahh.. well"

"What... lost you voice, I thought being a Captain and all talking would be a specialty of your." Before the captain could respond Hannah cut in. "Thank you captain you are dismissed.

The captain turned and left as fast as he had appeared but Hannah could have sworn he speedup slightly as he rounded the corner. Sighing slightly she made her way to the Dreadnaughts medical wing.

Entering the hospital white room she made her presence know with a small cough.

"Oh...oh my. Ummm. Ma'am." One of the doctors, who was probably new, tried to salute. Hannah inwardly laughed at his miserable, unneeded attempt. "At ease. Although next time you need not to salute, you are after all a doctor, not a serviceman."

"Of course I knew that..." Hannah doubted that. A long awkward silence fell between the two.

"My names Rob." He held out his hand.

Hannah just looked at it and said. "I see... well... Rob... could you please show me to your superior." Rejecting his outstretched hand.

"Sure" Rob said as he lowered his hand inelegantly. He then proceeded to lead Hannah through the rooms. Manoeuvring in and out of rushing doctors and nurses. All preparing and practicing for future injuries the men and women under Hannahs command would surly acquire.

"Doctor? Doctor?" Rob said as he tapped a grey haired lady on the shoulder to get her attention, much like a child. The grey haired lady turned around, her face falling millimetres, something the untrained eye wouldn't see but Hannah saw it, as her eyes fell on Rob.

"Rob." She greeted half heartedly. "Why are you tapping me on the shoulder? Cant you see I am dealing with a patient." She gestured to a teenage boy in the bed behind her. Hannah hadn't noticed the boy before, but now he was pointed out her eyes did not move again. She stared at the boys face. A lump constricted her breathing. He looked so much like Reece, so much like her dead Husband, except for the scar running down his left eye.

"I am sorry Doctor Chakwas... but Admiral Jameson is here to see you."

Breathing in heavily the doctor identified as Chakwas turned back to Rob. "Thank you... Rob... you can go back to you post now, I will deal with the admiral"

Eager to leave the presence of the rude arrogant admiral he quickly stuttered a thank you and ran off. "I am sorry about Rob... he isn't one of the Universities finest, he is more suited to civilian doctoring, he is not a military man." Chakwas apologised to Hannah, who was still staring into the sleeping face of the boy. After Hannah did not respond Chakwas cleared her throat.

"hmm. Oh, I am sorry." The Hannah apologised, a rare occasion. She then turned her attention back the doctor. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes actually. Its about the boy." Chakwas once again gesturing at the boy on the bed. "Until recently he was a prisoner of this new uprising terrorist organisation." Doctor Chakwas said in a friendly, sympathetic voice.

"Why?"

"I can not answer that, I can only speculate, from the amount of poisons that we found in his body he was some sort of test subject. In fact it is truly remarkable that he survived at all with amount and diversity of poisons that were pumped into him."

Hannah nodded solemnly. "I still don't understand why you need to tell me this personally, you could have informed that... what was his name... Anderson."

The Doctor merely shock her head. "Under the current circumstances I don't think it is wise."

"And what is the current circumstances?" Hannah gritted her teeth frustrated with the doctor for not going straight to the point.

"Well let me start from the beginning, after the boy was rescued by Captain Anderson and his team, it was discovered that the boy was swimming with poisons and drugs. He was immediately put into a induced coma. I personally didn't think he would last very long, due to the amount and diversity of the substances that had be pumped into him. I have been pleasantly surprised." The doctor stoped, catching Her breath. "back to the point, while in the coma, which might I point out inscrutably weak, for some reason his system is constantly fight back against the drugs."

Hannah narrower her eyes as the doctor once again started to go on a tangent.

Noticing this, Doctor Chakwas continued. "Well... he has been muttering names. Two actually." The doctor stopped talking, thinking on how she should word her next phrase, as if it was a difficult subject.

"What names?" Hannah grunted impatiently.

"Yours and your husbands. I thought that you would like to know."

"WHAT?" Hannah practically exploded, partially due to the mention of her Husband. "What do you mean my name? How does this... kid even know my name?" she hissed, expecting answers.

"I don't know... He doesn't have any legitimate records however."

"Define legitimate."

"I have done facial scans and the database matched his facial structure to a unnamed wanted criminal. He is apparently wanted for stealing cash, extortion, attempted murder, the list go's on. He is reportedly part of a the street gang the Tenth Street Reds."

"That doesn't tell me how he knows my name."

"I am afraid the only person who can tell you that is him. You will just have to wait for him to wake up, which will most likely be tomorrow."

Hannah scowled, not liking the situation. She hated it when things got personal. She was going to find out how this little punk knew of her and her dead husband, and she didn't plan on being nice. She turned to walk away. "Inform me when he wakes up." She said as she left.

"Of course." Dr Chakwas complied. However the Admiral had already left.

Hannah spent the rest of day coped up in her personal cabin, glued to her computer where the file of this unnamed boy who had earlier rattled her well built cage. She was trying to find out who this son of a bitch was. His file was interestingly blank when it came to personal details. This frustrated Hannah to no end. His crime file however was more colourful. He really did have a diverse list of crimes. From assault, to resisting arrest. As Hannah read of all the crime this boy a had committed it only fuelled her anger towards him. This kid choose the wrong name to unconsciously utter.

After a couple more hours of reading through his and his gangs files, hoping for some clues of who he was Hannah was about to nod off to a well earned sleep, but fate had other ideas. "Ma'am" her communicator on her Omni tool crackled to life. "He is awake, the boy is awake." Jumping up from her desk with new found strength she marched out the door, ready to extract the information out of the little shit with no mercy. Oh how fun this was going to be.

* * *

**SO sorry for leaving this late... I have been very busy with school and work. I know very original excuse. but hey its up now... I was going to make this chapter longer but I really wanted to get something up to show that I am still working on this story. **

**Please Review, is it bad, is it good does it not make any sense.**

**PS thanks for everyone that took the time to meesage me about some ideas they had for the story, I have taken them all into account. **


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